A conventional organic EL element includes an organic EL layer formed between an upper electrode working as a cathode and a lower electrode working as an anode. The organic EL element becomes defective due to a short circuit of the upper electrode and the lower electrode which occurs when, for example, a conductive foreign substance attaches to or enters the element during its manufacturing process. When the defective and abnormal element is included in a pixel, the pixel becomes defective and appears to be a dead spot or a dark spot.
Here, several known techniques are used to repair such a defective pixel by irradiating an abnormal element with a laser beam (see Patent Literatures, or PTLs 1 to 3, for example).
An exemplary repairing technique disclosed in PTL 3 involves detecting a conductive foreign substance attached to an abnormal element, and irradiating a region around the foreign substance with the laser beam. The technique can repair a short-circuit defect of the upper electrode and the lower electrode, without directly irradiating the foreign substance with the laser beam.